Lovers & Players (24 page)

‘We can’t, huh?’ he said wearily.

Why the fuck not?

And while the rehearsal dinner was taking place, and Red had
still
not returned home, Lady Jane opened his safe. She studied his will and several other private documents. Red’s Will was dated six months previously, and witnessed by two of his top executives.

She read everything and the colour drained from her face.

Red Diamond was even more of a devious bastard than even
she
’d imagined.

The information she discovered was quite unbelievable, and yet…she should have known.

Damn him. Damn him to hell and back.

T
he girls were working hard, Cindi still shaking her ass, Liberty draping herself over Slick Jimmy for the cameras.

It wasn’t as easy as it looked. Slick Jimmy was not a polished lip-syncher so they had to keep repeating take after take until he got it right. He’d also stopped talking to Liberty because, in his eyes, she wasn’t being respectful to his music.

As if she cared. She had an appointment to play her demo for Damon. Nothing could be better than
that
.

‘We scored an invite to the wrap party,’ Cindi confided, during one of the numerous breaks.

‘I thought we were dropping by your mom’s.’

‘Mom’s first, party later,’ Cindi said, with a big grin. ‘It’s gonna be a happenin’!’

‘I’m not in the mood for a party,’ Liberty said.

‘Oh,
c’mon
,’ Cindi scolded. ‘Tomorrow it’s back to
real
work, an’ all this’ll seem like a freakin’
dream.
So tonight we’re gettin’
down
, girl, make
no
mistake.’

Liberty frowned. She had no desire to get down. Thinking about returning to her job at the coffee shop was depressing enough. How could she possibly waitress for Damon now? It didn’t seem right. ‘I’m not going in to work tomorrow,’ she informed Cindi.

‘How come?’

‘’Cause I’m not ready.’

‘Oh,
I
get why you don’t wanna come in,’ Cindi taunted knowingly. ‘’Cause of Mr Bigshot Damon himself.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘I’m tellin’ you, girl, you’d better remember that workin’ in the coffee shop is what we
do.
It’s
real.
This shit
ain’t.
’

‘You seem to forget I was hurt on the job,’ Liberty reminded her. ‘That means I can take a couple of days off. They should understand.’

‘Okay,’ Cindi sighed, ‘I’ll cover for you, but only if you come to the party tonight.’

‘Where is it anyway?’

‘Slick Jimmy’s place.’

‘Oh,’ Liberty drawled sarcastically. ‘Now I’m
really
tempted.’

‘Chill, girl,’ Cindi said cheerfully. ‘Take away the baggy clothes an’ Slick Jimmy could be one
sexy
-lookin’ dude. Believe big momma,
I
know sexy.’

‘Yeah,’ Liberty said drily. ‘Two legs an’ a dick, you’ll find
anything
sexy.’

‘That’s
rude
, girl.’

‘No, it’s truthful.’

‘He could turn out to be a big star, an’ I could be
Mrs
Slick Jimmy,’ Cindi said. Then, lowering her voice, she added, ‘I didn’t tell you this, but he’s bin doggin’ me for my number. The dude is ready t’ rock, an’ so am I.’

‘Get real, Cindi. He’s coming onto every girl on the set.’

‘Maybe,’ Cindi said, unfazed. ‘Only those skanks ain’t
me.
When it comes to guys, I got a little somethin’ somethin’ that gets their blood boilin’ an’ their engine racin’.’

‘Sure you do. It’s called a pussy.’

‘That’s
right
!’ Cindi said, laughing. ‘An’ if I have anythin’ t’ do with it, tonight it’s gonna be a
workin’
pussy!’

Liberty loved her cousin, but the two of them were on such different tracks. To Cindi, it was all about getting laid and partying. To Liberty, it was allowing her talent to shine and working hard on her music. The last thing she needed was to be partying at Slick Jimmy’s.

Later, she cornered Beverly. ‘Did you mean it when you mentioned you could get me in to see a modelling agent?’

‘I certainly did,’ Beverly said, packing her brushes and make-up equipment into a large Fendi carry-all bag. ‘Why? You takin’ me up on it?’

‘I’d like to,’ Liberty said hesitantly. ‘I mean, if you really think I’ve got what it takes.’

‘Don’t be screwin’ with me,’ Beverly warned. ‘If I start hookin’ you up, you gotta be serious.’

‘I am,’ Liberty assured her.

‘Then let’s do it. I’ll call a friend of mine an’ set somethin’ up.’

‘Honestly?’

‘Done deal, babe. They’re gonna love you.’

Any excuse and Aretha took to her kitchen, cooking up a storm to celebrate her daughter’s appearance in a video shoot. She was busy preparing fried chicken, sweet potatoes, monkey bread, hot rolls, cookies and cakes.

Earlier Cindi had called to inform her that Liberty was also in the video. Aretha had immediately invited Diahann to join them.

When the girls arrived, the table was groaning with Aretha’s culinary delights.

Liberty was tired, her arm hurt and so did her ankle. All she
really
wanted to do was go home and start concentrating on her meeting with Damon. What should she wear? How should she act? And, even more important, would he like her music?

Then her mother walked out of the kitchen and she was furious. She’d
told
Cindi she didn’t want to see her. The problem with Cindi was that she never
listened
. As long as the prospect of getting laid was on her mind, she was unable to concentrate.

‘So, girls,’ Diahann said, ‘I want to hear all about this video shoot. It sounds exciting.’

Cindi started filling her in, while Liberty retreated to the kitchen and helped Aretha place crispy pieces of fried chicken on a large platter.

‘Put the dish in the centre of the table,’ Aretha instructed her, when they had finished. ‘Then get everyone to sit down. It’s time to eat.’

‘Anyone else coming?’ Liberty asked. ‘You’ve made enough food for the whole neighbourhood.’

‘Only us, sweet girl,’ Aretha said, chuckling. ‘It’s family night. You an’ Cindi can take food home for tomorrow. I know you girls never got nothin’ to eat at your place.’

‘We do,’ Liberty objected.

‘No, honey, you don’t, but that’s fine, s’ long as I feed you plenty here.’

‘You certainly do that.’

‘I understand you an’ your mama had a little talk,’ Aretha said, pausing to give Liberty a long, penetrating look.

‘Who told you? Cindi?’

‘No, for once it wasn’t my Cindi. It was your mama herself.’

‘And you believe everything she said?’

‘’Bout what?’

‘Germany, and my daddy being dead, an’ there’s no way I can contact his family.’

‘If that’s what she says, sweet thing,’ Aretha answered gently. ‘She’d have no reason to lie ’bout somethin’ so important, now, would she?’

‘I guess not.’

‘Y’ know, your mama feels
real
bad, so mebbe you should tell her that everythin’s all right between the two of you.’

But it’s not!
Liberty wanted to scream.
It’s not all right at all. I want a father just like everyone else.
‘Sure,’ she said listlessly.

Aretha gave her a great big hug. ‘That’s my girl. That’s my little Libby.’

A
s she sat in Tina’s hospital room, holding her friend’s hand, Amy tried to put everything in perspective. She was well aware that she’d made a mistake–a huge mistake. She’d had a one-night fling with a stranger who’d turned out to be not such a stranger after all.

Max’s brother. His younger
half
-brother, who, from what she’d gleaned listening to the conversation at the table, had been living in Italy for the past three years. With Gianna, the gorgeous woman who’d had every man at the party completely entranced. And–extra bonus–he was an ex-druggie.

Yippee! How much better could it get?

‘
Fuck!
’ Amy muttered, under her breath. She didn’t usually swear, but this seemed like the perfect occasion to do so.

‘Whassamatter?’ mumbled Tina, who for the past twenty minutes had seemed quite calm and peaceful. In the car on their way to the hospital she had spent twenty minutes howling frantically, and in the waiting hall she’d yelled, ‘
GET ME MY FUCKING EPIDURAL
!’ at full volume, and kicked Brad in the balls.

Well, she’d had her epidural now, and she was quite composed, lying there in a tranquil state.

A shaken Brad had gone to get coffee.

‘I feel amazing!’ Tina said dreamily. ‘Like I’m floating in the middle of the ocean on one of those rubber thingies.’

‘That’s nice,’ Amy said. ‘Drugs’ll do it every time.’

‘Sorry about your party.’

‘Don’t be. It wasn’t exactly going as I expected.’

‘Hmmm…’ Tina murmured, not at all interested. ‘Baby out soon. Tina thin again. New Jimmy Choos and Tiffany baubles. Tell Brad Tiffany’s,
not
Fortunoff. Sometimes he doesn’t quite get it.’ She closed her eyes, a smile hovering round her lips. ‘I feel so peaceful…’

Much as she wanted to, Amy realized that this was neither the time nor the place to advise her best friend of the ‘situation’ she was caught in. Tina would probably listen without really hearing, smile and flip her the peace sign.

Tina’s obstetrician had been and gone, promising to return shortly.

‘I’m having a baby,’ Tina murmured, patting her over-extended stomach. ‘Isn’t that something?’

‘It sure is,’ Amy agreed, squeezing her hand.

‘A little Brad.’ Tina giggled.

‘Not so little,’ Amy corrected. ‘Your OB says this baby’s going to be a big one.’

‘Brad’ll like that,’ Tina said, closing her eyes. ‘Brad’ll be
such
a proud papa…’ And she drifted off into a happy half-sleep.

Two hours later Brad junior was born, all eight pounds, six ounces of him.

The birth was effortless. A few pushes and the baby’s curly black head entered the world. Amy decided that whoever had invented epidurals was a major genius.

‘Oh, my
God
!’ Tina gasped, as a nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed him to her. ‘This is a miracle!’

In the room for the entire delivery, Amy and Brad had clutched each other, in awe at how smoothly everything went.

‘Congratulations,’ Amy whispered to Brad. ‘And now it’s time I left you three alone.’

‘Thanks for everything,’ Brad said, hugging her tightly. ‘I’m sorry you had to miss your party. We all are.’

‘Don’t be silly. Seeing little Brad junior enter the world was better than any party.’

‘Handsome little devil, isn’t he?’ Brad said, grinning proudly. ‘And well hung too!’

‘Brad!’

‘Just telling the truth.’

‘Anyway, he’s fantastic!’ Amy raved. ‘He’s got your eyes, and Tina’s mouth.’

‘And maybe your disposition?’

‘Don’t flatter me,’ she said modestly.

‘You’re the best,’ Brad said, hugging her. ‘A true friend.’

She kissed Tina and the baby, then quietly made her way out. It was almost midnight and the maternity floor was deserted. She hesitated a moment, then called Max on her cell.

‘Sweetheart!’ he said, sounding more than pleased to hear from her. ‘I just this minute got home. Where are you?’

‘Leaving the hospital now.’

‘Did everything go okay?’

‘Yes. A healthy eight-pound six-ounce baby boy.’

‘I’ll come get you and drive you to your apartment.’

‘I can take a cab,’ she said, walking towards the elevator.

‘Wouldn’t hear of it. I’m on my way out of the door now.’

‘You don’t have to.’

‘Yes. I do,’ he insisted. ‘You must be anxious to hear all about our party.’

‘I certainly am,’ she said. ‘Was my mother furious?’

‘
You
know Nancy. But Gianna–Jett’s girlfriend–saved the day. What a charmer! She had everyone under her spell, including Grandma Poppy. And, yes,
even
your mother.’

‘Great,’ Amy said flatly, thinking this was
all
she needed to hear. Not only was Gianna the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen, apparently she was the most charming too.

Ha! Lucky Jett.

Lucky Jett, the
seducer,
the
cheat,
the
ex-druggie
who’d got her drunk and lured her back to his apartment.

Screw
him
!

And yet…she’d gone willingly. She had not put up a fight. In fact, when he’d backed off due to her virginal state,
she
was the one who’d insisted he carry on.

He was
still
a cheat.

And what did that make her?

She didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to think about
him
. As far as she was concerned, it was one big nightmare she never planned on revisiting.

By the time Jett finally got Gianna out of the party his Italian supermodel was
still
ready to rock ’n’ roll.

‘We go clubbing,
carino,
’ she announced, throwing her arms round his neck, and flicking her tongue across his lips. ‘Gianna feel like dancing.’

Christ! She was the original Energizer Bunny. Wind her up and she’d go all night, when all he really wanted to do was clear his head and try to make sense of the night’s events.

What the
fuck
was he going to do? Amy Scott-Simon, the girl of his dreams, was about to marry his freakin’ bigshot brother–a man who could give her everything she wanted. Whereas he could give her–
what
? His undying love? It was wrong, all wrong, yet how could he stop it? What could
he
do?

Hang on. No need to get carried away. She was not the girl of his dreams: she was a one-night adventure, cheating on her fiancé. And yet she’d obviously never slept with Max, so what was
that
about? How come she’d never had sex with her fiancé, but she was happy to jump into bed with
him
?

They needed to sit down and talk, discover the truth of the situation. And the sooner the better.

‘
Carino!
’ Gianna purred, her tongue snaking its way into his ear. ‘Where we go now?’

Good question. Where
was
he supposed to take her?

He pulled out his cell and called Beverly. ‘I’m here with my girlfriend,’ he began, ‘and—’

‘You found her!’ Beverly exclaimed. ‘Who
is
she? What’s the lucky girl’s name? And, even
more
important, is she as hot as you remember?’

‘Uh…my
girlfriend
, Gianna, from Italy,’ he said pointedly, glancing at Gianna to see if she’d overheard.

‘Oops!’ Beverly exclaimed.

‘She wants to go dancing,’ Jett continued. ‘Any ideas?’

‘I’m on my way to meet Chet at Gatsby’s, then there’s a party at Slick Jimmy’s. You and your
girlfriend
can come with.’

‘If you’re sure…’

‘Meet us at Gatsby’s, babe.’

‘You’re the best, Bev. We’ll see you there.’

Back at the hotel Chris called Andy for an update on his house.

‘The news is not good,’ Andy informed him. ‘They think your house was built on the site of an ancient landslide, and that at any time it could slip on down the hill.’

‘Shit!’

‘I’ll contact the insurance agents first thing tomorrow. You’re fully covered, right?’

‘Who the fuck knows? Mudslides are a force of nature, don’t think that’s covered.’

He hung up and couldn’t sleep. Then he remembered the actress from the plane. Inez Fallon. Talkative but still attractive, and tonight he definitely needed company.

She was staying in the same hotel, so even though it was almost midnight he took a chance, picked up the phone and called her. She answered on the second ring.

‘Inez,’ he said.

‘Who’s this?’

‘Chris Diamond. We sat next to each other on the plane.’

‘Of
course
I remember,’ she purred. ‘What can I do for you, Chris?’

You can come to my room and suck my dick ’cause I’m too tense to sleep.

‘I’m sitting here on L.A. time unable to crash. I thought you might be doing the same.’

‘Actually,’ she confessed, ‘I’m watching a porno.’

‘You are?’

‘Yes,’ she said, with a wicked laugh. ‘It’s what I always do when I’m trapped in a hotel room by myself.
Very
relaxing. You should try it.’

‘Seems like a reasonable way to pass the time.’

‘I was thinking I could talk to Dave about it tomorrow on his show. Had to come up with
something
that’ll outdo Drew and her tits.’

‘Sounds like a plan.’

‘It does, doesn’t it?’

‘So…how about coming up to my suite and watching a porno with
me
?’

A three-second pause. ‘Sure. Why not?’

Ten minutes later they were making out on the couch. She wore a skimpy purple dress, short and low-cut. It did not take him long to manoeuvre her out of it. Underwear was not her thing. Neither was pubic hair. She was shaved to within an inch of her life, and pierced right on her clit.

Naked, she straddled him, large erect nipples on small breasts. Real. Made a nice change.

She thrust them into his mouth, urging him to suck hard. He did so, and she shuddered to a climax within seconds, screaming like a wild woman. Then she bent her head to blow him, and he discovered that this was one practised actress. She had it down–the tongue-teasing and the hand-twisting. Stopping. Starting. Driving him fucking crazy.

When he came, it was an explosion big enough to make him forget about his house, Birdy and Jonathan.

He lay back on the couch and, within minutes, had fallen into a much-needed deep sleep.